A group of Bristol City FC fans are suing police, who prevented them attending a match against Birmingham City in 2015

City’s supporters club said the fans were threatened with force and accused of being hooligans by a megaphone cop.

West Midlands Police have until February 22 to respond or the case will go to civil court.

A statement from the Bristol City Supporters Club and Trust said: "Ten supporters who are not considered a risk or involved in football related disorder were surrounded and threatened with force including the use of police dogs and publicly accused of being hooligans by an inspector using a megaphone.

"They were detained for over 90 minutes and put back on a train home without being allowed to attend the game they had come to watch."

The ten fans were detained by police before the match, which ended in a 4-2 defeat for Bristol City

It added: "There was no reason to suspect that any of these supporters had caused or were likely to cause disorder.

"It is not suspicious to meet up with friends, go for a pre-match pint and walk to a football match."

Stu Rogers, chair of The Supporters Club and Trust, said: "We believe that supporting these ten fans is fundamentally the role of a pro-active supporters group acting in the best interests of supporters.

"West Midlands Police appear to have frustrated the process throughout in the hope we would just go away. We won't.

"The primary purpose of bringing this action is to ensure that future use of these dispersal powers is not abused by West Midlands Police or any other forces around the country.

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A spokesman for Bristol City FC said: "We are aware of the circumstances and the potential impact that the treatment, as alleged in this case, can have on our supporters.

"It is imperative that all supporters are treated fairly and we recognise the efforts of the Supporters Club and Trust and those affected individuals have undertaken to try and ensure this type of incident does not happen again."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "Court proceedings have been served against the force and we are currently seeking legal advice."